Lori Seaborg

Losing Focus on God

I have a zillion things to do, and here I am, blogging you and peeking at websites that I can visit later. I am leaving for Nashville tomorrow, going to a publishing conference. Taking such a huge step of faith frightens me. I know God wants me to go to this conference. I do not doubt that He wants me to write; that along with being a mom and a wife, He created me to be a writer.

It has been hard this week, to focus on God and not on how frightened I am and how unprepared I feel. My faith voice tells me to focus on God and not on the task at hand. My reality voice tells me that I have a million (ok, so it's not a "zillion," like I said earlier) things to do and that focusing on God ain't gonna' get them done!

Meanwhile, I have myself so tired or stressed - I'm not sure which - that I have tonsillitis, something I get only when I'm pushing myself too hard.

It really does not have to be this big of a deal!

I'm just going to a conference, sitting in a chair, and listening to people tell me about the publishing business. I do have to give a 30-second pitch to everyone at lunch one day, and I will need to make a few appointments to talk to editors. But, really, it's not that big of a deal!

It's amazing how we humans can blow things out of proportion. In only 6 months from now, even in just a week from now, I will be concerned about something else, so concerned that I am consumed with it -- and I will have forgotten my concern for this conference.

Psalm 119:37 "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way." I prayed this verse this morning, after opening my Bible to it. If you also are concerned with something, pray to God to revive you in His way.

Okay, now I really do have to go and get those thousand things done (it wasn't really a "million" after all).

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)

Today I Am....

Reading....Thrush Green by Miss Read

Feeling...lousy with tonsillitis. I get it when I'm too worn out. Time for rest!

Writing...an outline for a book that I will propose to editors next week

Enjoying...today's perfect Gulf Coast weather - blue skies, 70 degrees

Laughing...at our 5yo Little Guy. I asked him if a mark on his belly itches today, wondering if it was a rash. He said, "Sometimes it itches, but not now." A moment later, he is scratching his belly all over and says, "Oh! My skin remembered to itch!"

Uploading...2 photos of our river, one upstream and one downstream. You'll see what Hurricane Ivan did, mean ol' fella..

Catching...our baby chick, who is now a teenager and escaped his/her pen.

Scolding...the neighbor's dog, Santana, who was eying our teenager chick escapee.

Watching...tonight's American Idol tryouts - they crack me up! - and Alias, one of the only 2 shows I let myself watch on a regular basis ("24" is the other)

Loving...God who gave me this day and this family.

What are you doing?

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)

What Hurricane Ivan Did

We live on a river just a few miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.  This is our river upstream. It is a wild and beautiful river, with a pure sand bottom. It is winter in this photo, so imagine how green it is in the summer!

 

Hurricane Ivan did not cause any damage in that view upstream.  But standing in the same spot, if I turn my camera downsteam, look....

 

 

Hurricane Ivan tore HUGE decades-old cedars and ripped them into shards.  There are over 22 trees in the river in this area.  The hurricane spawned a tornado that came through here, not all that far from our house where we were weathering out the storm.  Even 9 months later, when I walk down to the river and see this mess, I sometimes get teary.  Not because of the trees.  Although I'm sad to lose them, I know that's the way of God's nature.  I get sad because I remember that night so well...the sounds of those trees cracking, the meteorologist's voice on the radio, the darkness when the power went out, the transformers that blew up with loud bangs, and the wind.  The endless wind.  

 

Although I love great displays of nature, I am still overwhelmed by what fury Hurricane Ivan held. 

 

We are so small. God is so big. 

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog - photo taken by me)

 

Biting My (Email) Tongue

I received a hurtful email yesterday.

It was from a local mother who is leading a homeschool group of
which I have been a part. I was taken aback by her harsh email,
which accused me of not staying true to an earlier committment I had
agreed to do. She had jumped to conclusions about my intentions and
wrote unkind things about my character in the email.

My first response - after I slowed my pounding heart - was to write
something mean. Oh, I wrote at least a dozen emails back to her,
all of which remained unsent. My emails were straightforward. They
said things like, "If you don't enjoy leading the group, perhaps you
should let another mother do it." The emails said, "You should not
assume the worst in someone you do not yet know well."

Yes, my emails were probably true.

It's just that they weren't very kind. The offender is not only a
part of my homeschool group, but she is also a neighbor. We are
only acquaintances (we're fairly new to the neighborhood), but we
have wanted to get together.

Is one email enough to ruin a potential friendship? Should I let
her words keep us from being friendly neighbors?

The answer to both of those was "Yes!" to me.

But then I looked up and saw my husband sitting there at his
computer. And I was reminded that when I say unkind words to him,
it is when he does NOT lash back that my conscience kicks in and I
am immediately sorry. When he does lash back, we only argue and I
feel justified.

So I wrote the following simple email:

"I apologize for upsetting you - I had no idea! I read my past
emails and can't find any reason for your response.

Of course, I had planned on fulfilling my obligation - I always take
that seriously."

This morning, I received her response:

"I am sorry. I must have been having a bad day. Could we get
together next week with the kids?"


Lori Seaborg

Taco Seasoning Mix & Chili Seasoning Mix Recipes

I have two favorite blend recipes for you. You will love the fresh
taste that comes from making your own seasonings versus buying the
little packets at the store.

Two great sources for herbs and spices in bulk (they are fresher
than at the grocery store) is http://www.americanspice.com and
http://atlanticspice.com (use http://sfherb.com for West Coasters).
I've used both companies and love their herbs and spices! One of my
favorite catalogs is from Penzeys: http://penzeys.com . The catalog
is loaded with recipes, all of them wonderful!

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine all ingredients until evenly distributed. Spoon mixture
onto a 6" square of aluminum foil and fold to make airtight. Label.
Store in a cool, dry place and Use within 6 months.

Makes 1 package (about 2 tablespoons) Taco Seasoning Mix.

I always increase this by 6 or more and store it in a recycled empty
glass spice jar. We use 2 T to 1 lb. ground beef. It's great!!

To Use:

Brown 1 lb. ground beef. Drain fat. Add Taco Seasoning Mix and a
bit of water (1/4 cup? experiment). Boil, then simmer until the
mixture is the desired consistency.

(Source: "Make-a-Mix Cookery" by Fisher Publishing, Inc.)





Chili Seasoning Mix

3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper
2 tablespoons instant minced onion
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1-1/2 chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Blend thoroughly. This also makes just one packet of chili
seasoning
mix. Wrap individually and store in a cool, dry place.

Add these directions to your gift:


To make chili:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup hot water
1 pkg. Chili Seasoning Mix (above)
1 (16 oz.) can kidney or pinto beans
2 (8-oz.) cans tomato sauce

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain fat. Add remaining
ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid
is reduced to desired consistency.

(http://www.Make-a-Mix.com)

Learning to Knit

I learned to knit today. I am SO excited about conquering the basics of a new craft! I have been trying to teach myself from a book on and off (mostly "off") for a few years, but finally I met someone who could teach me. Within an hour, I was knitting away .... yes, and quite happily, too!

I have a need to learn every craft invented. Currently I'm into beading (as in beaded bookmarks or little bead bracelets for my toddler and 7yo to wear...and then pop...and then little beads are rolling all over the floor). And now I'm into knitting!

What are you creating?

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)

Prioritizing Life: Part 2

Last time I wrote, I talked about prioritizing your life. Your
priorities should be in this order: God - Husband - Children -
Home - Yourself - Others.

Before we make a daily schedule, I will try to teach you how to make
a weekly one. The purpose of this schedule is to put your
appointments in front of you so that you won't forget them, and to
put your priorities in front of you so that you will remember how
important they are.

There are three columns in my schedule*. They are place at the top
of an 8-1/2 x 11" piece of typing paper (turned to "Landscape",
widthwise). The columns are labeled:

- Priorities This Week
- Daily Schedule
- Menu Plan

Now make 7 rows under the three columns.

In the rows under Priorities This Week are:

1. Lord
2. Husband
3. Children
4. Home
5. Myself
6. Outside the Home
7. (blank)

In the rows under Daily Schedule is:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

The rows under Menu Plan are blank.

Make several copies of the form that you have just made, or create
it on the computer and print it out each week. My Daily Schedule
starts with Monday because I always fill out my Priority Schedule on
Sundays.

Okay, now you are ready to fill out your Priority Schedule. This is
simple.

Under Priorities this Week are your rows of priorities: Lord-
Husband-Children-Home-Myself-Outside the Home. In each section,
write something you could do in that area this week. Here is my
list this week:

1. Lord:
Establish quiet time with God each morning. Pray while walking
daily. Teach the children Psalm 23 from memory.

2. Husband:
Bake chocolate cookies for him this week. Have an at-home date with
him Friday evening.

3. Children:
Attend the Mobile Symphony Orchestra for Kids program on Wednesday
morning. Attend the Food Art exhibit at the Foley Museum on
Saturday (family time). Stone's birthday is Thursday.

4. Home:
Create children's chore charts. Finish putting up Christmas stuff.
Spend 15 extra minutes clearing office desk.

5. Myself:
Go to Barnes & Noble on Sunday afternoon for a Starbucks coffee and
alone time. Make beaded bookmarks.

6. Outside the Home:
Mail beaded bookmarks to others. Write thank-you notes from
Christmas. Establish daily writing schedule.

To begin, and to give yourself a sense of accomplishment, you may
want to put only one "to-do" item in each section.

Making this list helps me so much, because if I don't have it, I
don't remember to do anything special for my husband each week. In
fact, when I fill out the planner, I have to think and think for
what I could possibly do for him!


Under Daily Schedule, write in the things that are already
scheduled, such as "Stone's birthday" under Thursday, or "Eye doctor
appointment" under Friday. Leave space to make a list from #1-#6
for daily priorities (a type of "to-do" list). Next time I write, I
will explain these numbers (1-6) and what to do with them. I will
also give you my daily schedule.

Under Menu Plan, simply write in what you will eat for the day so
that meals are more hassle-free.

Look under Files at our Yahoo! group and you will see a file that I
put there. It is called Priority Planner and is a Microsoft Word
document. It is a very simple, basic Priority Schedule for you to
print out. Or, make your Priority Schedule on the computer or by
hand. Don't try to make it perfect! Just do it. Next time, I will
discuss the Daily Schedule in more depth.

Lori Seaborg

*I learned about doing a schedule like this from the book Creative
Counterpart by Linda Dillow, pages 68-69, but have modified it to
suit me.

Making His Dreams Come True

Our little guy, who is a brand new 5-year-old, likes to tell me his dreams in the mornings. He often hops onto our bed and says, "Do you want me to tell you what my show was?"

Just recently, he learned that the "shows" that he saw at night are called "dreams." His "shows" are full of dump trucks, airplanes, his family and grandparents...and his obsession, fire. Fire trucks, firemen, blazing fires...the kid is a pyromaniac in miniature!

Tonight, the kids watched a bit of the American Idol auditions with me. To introduce the show, the announcer said, "Thousands of people came here to make their dreams come true in Washington, D.C." 

Our little guy yelled, "Mama! Mama! I want to go there! I want my dreams to come true!"

He meant literal dreams, of course. Now that we taught him that "shows" are "dreams," we'll have to teach him that "dreams" can also be "aspirations."

...Nah, that's too long of a word. We'll just let him think all American Idol contestants go to Washington, DC to see their dump trucks, fire, family, firemen, and airplanes in action.

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)

Our Millenium Baby Turns 5 (and strong)

 

Our little guy didn't listen to me today. He didn't listen at all when I told him he was not allowed to turn five years old. For several months, maybe even a full year, he has talked about being five. Holding his thumb down to say he was four was not fun to him. He wants to jut out all five digits on his hand and thrust it at your face when you ask how old he is.

For months, if someone asked him what's going to happen in January, he would say, "I'm going to be five and Mama's going to cry. Ha! Ha!"

I guess being five means that you are much stronger than when you are four-years-and-three-hundred-sixty-four days. 

Our little guy says so.

He wakes up this morning, says, "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!" way too loudly for his sleeping Mama, then proceeds to pick up heavy objects.

He lifts a footstool above his head. "See?" Through my sleepy eyes, I see and nod.

Then he picks up a lamp. "Look!"

"Mmm-hmmm", I murmur.

Next, he picks up half of the office chair so that it tilts and almost falls on him. "I'm STRONG," he says.

"Oh, yes, you are very strong." I'm starting to wake up.

Finally, he walks over to our bedpost, and tries to pick up our king-sized mahogany bed with me and his Daddy in it.

And you know what?! The most amazing thing happens....

No, I'm kidding, he can't do it. But he grunts and groans and gives it a good try.

Catching on, I say, "Are you stronger because you're five now?"

He doesn't answer, but smiles, pulls up his shirt sleeve and shows me his very big muscle.

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)

Prioritizing Life: Part 4

It is hard for me to stick to a strict schedule because I like to
have flexibility in my days. Our family tends to drop everything
just because we decide on a whim to go to the beach or to the park.
Today the weather is perfect, just above 70 and sunny and blue.
After our quiet time, we are all going outside to play in the sand
on our riverbank. Some days I lay in bed at night and wonder what
in the world I got accomplished.

Someone who wrote me recently is the opposite of me. She recently
emailed me to say that she'd been thinking about her strict schedule
and wondered: Would Jesus have a "to do" list? I guess He might
have had a "to do" list ("Go to Galilee today."), and certainly He
had a priority list (GOD first!). But He would not have had a rigid
schedule.

If Jesus had planned His days to the minute, He may have missed
opportunities such as the time when He stopped in Samaria on His way
to Galilee. There in Samaria, Jesus met a woman at the community
drinking well and made such an impression on her that she ran into
her town and called everyone to come see Him. Clearly, this was not
on Jesus' schedule, because the Bible says: "So when the Samaritans
had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them and He stayed
there two days. And many more believed because of His own word."
(see John 4 for the story) With a flexible schedule, and with His
priorities straight, Jesus was able to stay two unexpected days in
Samaria.

With a rigid schedule, one cannot take advantage of little miracles
in the day. I personally love to chase after the wind! On the
other hand, life needs structure. Jesus enjoyed gardens, but He did
not smell flowers all day long. He lived His life with His
priorities in mind. He lived with purpose.

How much schedule is enough but not too much?

The way that has worked for me is to have a daily schedule with goal
points. It is not a "to the minute" schedule. Some days it has to
be changed to fit in an extra field trip or an illness. But when I
am ready to get back to having my life under control, I glance at my
schedule and know where I should be. My schedule helps me stay
focused on what needs to be done while allowing me the freedom to
chase that wind if I'm still of a mind to do so.

I try to get things done by certain times in the day. Those items
may be done in any order, just as long as they are done by the goal
point. Here is my current schedule:

• By 7:30am: God time done; Walk done

• By 8:30am: Breakfast done; Morning chores done; Everyone
dressed; Beds made

• By 9am: Everyone in school room; Schoolwork and Planning
(bills, menus, thank you notes, research, etc.) ready (for me to do
while they do schoolwork)

• By 12noon: Lunch ready; Floors picked up; Schoolwork done
except reading and any homework; Paperwork put away or mailed

• By 1pm: Lunch clean-up done; Ready to start Quiet Time
(reading, naps, homework)

• By 3pm: my Writing done; Kids up from Quiet Time; Reading
and Homework done; ready to have Tea Time, Play time, or Crafts

• By 4:30pm: Crafts or free time stuff put away; ready to
Start Dinner

• By 5:30pm: Dinner ready; Floors picked up; everyone at the
Table to Eat

• By 6:30pm: Dinner eaten and cleaned up; Kids' Chores done;
Family Time and Baths begin

• By 8:30pm: All the kids are in bed between 7:30-8:30pm

• By 11pm: I need to be in bed, reading.


This schedule changes often, every few months at least. When we
don't do homeschool, I make a new schedule, such as during the
Summer break. We have different ones for vacations and holidays.

I write my schedule on a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" paper. It's not
fancy at all. I slip it into a page protector, or sometimes post it
on the fridge.

Are you wondering how to fit in your Daily Priorities (I wrote about
them in the 3rd article of this series)? I fit them into the day
wherever they can fit. If one goal was to "Bake Chocolate Chip
Cookies" for my husband, I'll bake them while I'm making dinner. If
a priority goal was to "Make Beaded Bookmarks," I'll create them
after Quiet Time, when I have free time for crafting before having
to focus on dinner.

If you have any questions, please write me at
KeepingtheHome@bellsouth.net .

Also, visit the following site which helped me when I was struggling
to clean and organize our home: http://www.flylady.net

Also, I absolutely love the free printables on this site:
http://householdnotebook.com

Lori Seaborg
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/Keeping_the_Home
http://www.keepingthehome.blogspot.com (my blog and more about me)

p.s.
This is the final article of my little "Prioritizing Your Life"
series.

In Part One, I wrote about how to set priorities for your life in
the areas of God, Husband, Children, Home, Yourself, and Others (or
Outside the Home).

Part Two was about how to make a weekly planner, which I call the
Priority Schedule (or Priority Planner).

Part Three was about how to set daily priorities through a daily "to
do" list of the six items to accomplish that day.

Part Four, which you are reading here, is on making a daily
schedule.

Prioritizing Life: Part 3

The last two articles that I wrote were called "Prioritizing Your
Life" and "Prioritizing Your Life – Weekly Schedule." Today I'm
going to tell you how I set up a Daily list of priorities. Always,
always when I write to you, take what I tell you and tweak it to
work with your life. And always remember that I mess up, too, so
don't quit. Just jump back in wherever you are.

Remember the Priority Schedule that I had you make in my last
article, "Prioritizing Your Life – Weekly Schedule"? Today, we are
going to focus on the center column of that form, called "Daily
Priorities" (also known as "Daily Schedule" because I messed up and
gave it that title in my last article).

To keep your day focused on getting the most important things
accomplished, you need to narrow your list of "to dos" down to a few
items. In Creative Counterpart, Linda Dillow writes about a time
when Charles Schwab wanted to find out how to improve sales in his
company. The man he hired suggested that Schwab write down six
things he wanted to have accomplished by the end of the day, in
order of importance. The items on the list were to be done in
order, completing the first task before moving on to the second.
You know the name Charles Schwab today because of the success of his
priority list. We can use this tool in our homes. I have done it
off and on for a few years, and it is amazing how much I can get
done when I stick to the list.

Under "Daily Priorities," write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 with
spaces beside each one. You may want to fill in the blanks each
morning or in the evening before each day. In the blanks, simply
write down what you want to accomplish during the day, in order of
priority. These aren't items like "wash the dishes," which is a
daily chore; instead, these are special items that you'd like to get
done or which are scheduled, such as appointments. Most of these
items come from under the column "Priorities this Week," where you
wrote what you wanted to do in each area in the week (eg. "Bake
Cookies" under Husband; "Make Beaded Bookmarks" under Myself, etc.)

Here is what my list looked like today:

MONDAY:
1. Spend quiet time with God.
2. Walk one mile.
3. Make a beaded bookmark.
4. Call the Foley Museum for reservations for Saturday.
5. Bake chocolate chip cookies.
6. Write 1000 words.

(Later, I might not put "spend quiet time with God," because that
will be a daily habit.)

Creating this list of six items helps you in these ways:

• You will get extra chores done
• You will have time to do things for others that you might
otherwise think you don't have time to do
• You will be sure to do something extra special for those in
your Priority List (God – Husband – Children – Home – Myself –
Outside the Home)
• You will have a sense of accomplishment each day
• You will have a record of things you did, in case you (or
your husband or others!) want to know what in the world you did with
you time
• You will remember to concentrate on one task, completing it
before moving on to any others
• You will feel more focused, because you are more focused.

Your homework:

1. Print the Priority Schedule, if you have not already done
so. (Go to the homepage of the Keeping the Home Yahoo! group, and
click on Files:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KeepingtheHome/files/ . I put a
plain priority schedule there.). Or create your own schedule, on
paper or on the computer.

2. Fill in what you will do this week in each area of your
priorities.

3. Write down the six things you want to accomplish tomorrow,
in order of priority.


Next time I write, I will share with you my daily schedule.

Blessings!

Psalm 113:9

Both my sister-in-law (mother of two) and I have been separately blessed by this verse recently, so I wanted to share it with you:

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD."---Psalms 113:9

My sister-in-law opened her Bible to the verse just when it was needed - at at time when the children were tired, irritable and misbehaving. She says the verse reminded her that her children are a blessing from God.

For me, the verse was a reminder that I have so much -- I am not barren, I have a house to "keep," and I have the CHOICE to be joyful.

Yes, I can choose to be joyful and thankful, even when the children are tired, irritable and misbehaving (As my 4-year-old is RIGHT THIS MINUTE when he should be in bed, but is instead making noises and jumping around next to me. Excuse me while I put that Blessing to bed!)

(Originally published on my 2004-05 Keeping the Home blog)